Surface hardening lathe bed



Dec. 6, 1938.

P. A. ABE 2,138,811

SURFACE HARDENING- LATHE BED Filed July 29, 1936 O O O O INVENTOR P H I L P: E R A. ABE

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES SURFACE HARDENING LATHE BED Philber A. Abe, Sidney, Ohio, assignor The Monarch Machine Tool Company, Sidney, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application July 29, 1936, Serial No. 93,252

1 Claim. (01. 14a-z1) My invention relates to a new article of manufacture for use as a lathe bed, and a process of producing it.

It is my object to produce a lathe bed which can be cast and machined and thereafter be surface hardened.

It is a further object to provide a novel alloy susceptible to the heat treatment and hardening process of this invention.

10 It is my object to provide a type of material for use in lathe beds which can be surface hardened.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a section through a lathe bed showing my method being practiced for the hardening of a portion of the surface of the lathe bed, which has already been machined.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus used for this purpose.

20 The alloy is cast in the usual manner as a casting for a lathe bed. The wearing surfaces of the bed are machined and are then subjected to the following process in order to heat treat them and harden them, so that the wearing sur- 25 faces are very hard, while at the same time, they are heat treated and are not warped.

I am therefore able to accomplish the surface hardening of the way surfaces of a lathe bed or any other particular localities oi the bed or cast- 30 ing, without the necessity of treating the entire casting.

In order to do this, I move along the surface to be hardened, at a predetermined speed, a burner I having suitable holes, The surface of 35 the bed way of the lathe bed is designated 2.

The bed is designated 3. This burner is connected by a pipe 4 to a supply of oxygen and acetylene, which is supplied to a mixer 5 and thence to the burner I. After the material directly under the flame at the burner reaches the desired heat of approximately 1400 to 1500 degrees F., the burner moves and is immediately followed by a water-discharge nozzle 6 which supplies a stream of cold water to quench the 45 material and produce the desired hardness.

Heretofore, the way surfaces of the lathe had a customary hardness of 190 to 200 Brinell. By

For

instance, I designates a water supply through a. flexible connection 8 to the water discharge nozzle 6. Both the burner I and the water discharge nozzle 6 are supported on a roller 9 which slides on a foot arm Ill. The arm is moved bodily by any 5 suitable supporting and driving mechanism.

It is obvious that by this process and the use of this alloy material, I am enabled to get a high grade casting, the particular localities of which can be hardened where the wear is greatest. 10

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses.

This invention comprehends the hardening of lathe surfaces, such as fiat bearing surfaces for use on taper attachment parts, compound rest parts, the carriage cross bridge, and other parts.

It will be also understood that the percentages of steel scrap, nickel and chromium can be varied, 2b and that the amounts indicated are those that have been found by test to be satisfactory, but variations therefrom are possible, and I comprehend within my invention such variations.

It will be further understood that while I mention the heating element to be of acetylene and oxygen, it is entirely feasible to use any other heating element, such as natural gas, an electric current, or an electric arc, and the like. It will be understood that these variations are comprehended within my claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a process of producing hardened beveled elongated bed ways in machine tools, substantially simultaneously flame-heating adjacent areas on opposite sides of the beveled bed way surfaces with substantially equal heating effects in succession along said beveled bed ways, sub- 40 stantially simultaneously cooling said adjacent way areas on said opposite sides of said beveled way surfaces with substantially equal cooling effects in succession along said beveled bed ways immediately after the heating thereof, and localizing the heat applied against each way surface to that surface by preventing the spreading thereof to the opposite way surface, whereby to prevent unequal expansion of said elongated beveled way surfaces with consequent strain and subsequent warping thereof. 7

PHILBER A. ABE. 

